Food for the Soul

I wanted to do a little recap for 2008. I have again tried very hard to get to new places in town and to check out the food and the service, but there have been so many new choices. I love that we are really growing, and the options continue to grow. What I decided to do, instead of talking about a new place, is to use my voice in this column to give an opinion, my last of the year.

As we are all trying hard to decide where to spend our money, I find that I continue to hear things like: “Well, I am going to go out less and make it at home.” That’s great, but now that we are getting all these great places to go, instead of staying home I think we should maybe try to spread around what little we can spend and support as many people as we can.

I think having a business is one on the most wonderful things you can do in your life. Being your own boss, making food you like, and supporting the community with it. Instead of not going out, maybe we cut back. That would be much better. I remember a friend telling me years ago: “If even half of the people in Fargo went out once a week with a group to a different restaurant, we could keep places open.”
Going out does not mean you have to order big meals . How about going for appetizers and drinks some times? Oh, I really don’t know how to exactly express my point, but what I do know is I want everyone to remember we all need support, even the non-food places. OK, enough on that.

Although my column is called “All About Food,” I have been thinking lately of how the word food does not necessarily have to literally be the stuff you eat or drink. We have all heard “food for the soul.” Well, lately I have been feeling that. I have no idea if it is because of the holidays, or that during this time our sadness from missing family and friends has set in.

So what about this is “food?” Well, I found myself thinking that the comfort and security of those family members and friends who are gone really feeds my soul and helps me keep grounded in so many ways.

A couple teaspoons of confidence about an upcoming job or a cup of hugs is really missed. The tablespoon of wanting to know how my day was and what the week will be like. A 1/3 of a cup of friend-and-family-time really meant, and means, so much to me. So I decided that I need to work on my recipe and a perfect good “food for my soul” dish. One that will be used over and over again.

So, I am hoping that over the next couple of weeks I will get to meet some friends for coffee, have a dinner party, hear from a family member from far away, and mix up a big bowl of old and new friends again. That is the gift of food for the soul that I want to give and receive.

Lastly, I wanted to share a great cookie recipe. It is a Chocolate sugar cookie, from the food channel of course. Enjoy:

Double Chocolate Sable Cookies (France)

  * 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, frozen for 10 minutes
  * 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  * 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
  * 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  * 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  * 5 1/4 ounces (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
  * 1 cup sugar
  * 1 large egg yolk

Directions:

Grate the chilled chocolate with a fine grater or rasp and set aside. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Beat the butter and sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until just combined. Mix in the yolk.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter and beat lightly together until just combined but still crumbly. Fold in grated chocolate with a spatula. Bring the dough together by lightly squeezing in your hands, but don’t knead or overwork, as the secret to these cookies is their delicate, sandy texture.

Divide the dough in half. Lay half the dough on a long sheet of waxed paper and shape into a log along the width of the waxed paper, leaving some space at each end. Pull the paper over the top of the log.
Grip the edge of the top piece of paper, and use a straight, firm edge, like a ruler or the edge of a pan, to press gently against the edge of the dough where the papers come together to create a solid, firm, round log.

Repeat with remaining dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (To keep logs round store inside an empty paper towel roll).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice logs into 1/2-inch thick rounds with a sharp, thin knife. Divide rounds onto the prepared sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them, and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake until cookies smell fragrant with a full cocoa aroma and are set on the outside, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pans, about 5 minutes.

Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. Serve.

Busy baker’s tips: Dough can be made and frozen for up to 2 weeks. Store baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil and frozen for up to 2 weeks.

Cook’s note: For super uniform cookies, place each sliced disk of dough in a muffin tin and bake. The cookies will be chewier and less sandy this way.
Merry Christmas and have a great New Year. Any questions or concerns email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)